Ice cracker



y 1951 y M. A. ROLLMAN 2,550,864

' ICE CRACKER Filed Sept. 20, 1947 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

, MICHAEL A. ROLLMAN 0 y 1951 M. A. ROLLMAN 2,550,864

ICE CRACKER Filed Sept. 20, 1947 I 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR.

' MICHAEL AROLLMAN F/G. 7 w

ATTX

Patented May 1, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 9 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in an ice cracking device.

In a number of types of ice cracking devices currently available, pieces of ice are cracked into particles, but an appreciable amount of such pieces is smashed into very small bits resembling shaved ice; whereby such small pieces rapidly melt. Further, a number of such conventional ice crackers are slow in operation and produce the finished product only after considerable time has been consumed.

It is an object of the present invention to produce an ice cracker which will crack pieces of ice or ice cubes substantially entirely into particles of the size of a pea or greater as distinguished from crushing or smashing them, whereby such particles will melt more slowly than smaller ice particles produced by crushing or smashing operations.

It is a further object of the invention to produce an ice cracker which is especially adapted for cracking ice cubes at a very rapid rate notwithstanding the fact that the device is operated manually.

Details of these objects and of the invention as well as other objects thereof are set forth in the following specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the ice cracker comprising the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional elevation of part of the ice cracker comprising the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional elevation of the ice cracker shown in Fig. l and taken on the line 3-3 in said figure.

vation taken on the line 3--3 of Fig. 1 and showing an ice cube positioned in the ice cracker prior to the commencement ofthe cracking operation.

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. but showing the ice cube being cracked.

Fig. 7 is a View similar to Figs. 5 and 6 but showing a receptacle under the guide channel of the cracker, said receptacle being filled with the cracked ice product of the device comprising the invention.

Referring to the drawings, the body IE3 of the ice cracker may be formed of metal, wood, synthetic resinous material, or any other suitable material. The upper portion of the body is prohandle 32.

vided with a guide channel l2 which receives in the upper end thereof pieces of ice and especially ice cubes which are to be cracked into small particles. As will be seen from Figs. 1 and 4, in plan View, said channel is substantially square so as to conveniently receive and guide ice cubes.

The lower portion of the body It comprises a plurality of legs M which are preferably integrally formed within said body. The lower portions of said legs are preferably secured to a base 16 by suitable means such as screws i8, and in the preferred embodiment of the invention, pliable suction cups 20 are also secured to the underside of said base l6 by screws [8.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the legs i4 continue upward on the exterior of the body H] in the form of ribs 22. Each of said ribs is provided with a vertical slot or recess 24 which is suificiently extensive to receive a rotary ice shattering means comprising a sharply pronged wheel 25. Said wheel is supported in the recess 24 on a horizontal axle or pintle 28 which passes through a suitable bearing aperture in the wheel 26. As may be readily seen from Fig. 4, there are two pairs of the pronged wheels 25 mounted within the ice cracker, each pair of wheels being disposed in a common plane, and the planes of said two pairs of wheels intersect substantially at right angles as is readily seen from Fig. 4. The wheels 26 are preferably relatively thin and formed from substantially non-rusting metal.

As will be observed from Figs. 1 and 5 through '7, the radial dimension of the prongs of the wheels 26 is such that the tips of the prongs of each pair of wheels come into close proximity to each other during the rotation thereof.

A follower means 33 having a transversely disposed handle member 32 is movable within the guide channel i2 of the cracker. Said follower is preferably provided with a plurality of depending, sharply pointed prongs 34. It will be observed that the transverse handle 32 extends in opposite directions outward from the body it], as will be seen in Figs. 1 and 2, said handle being operable in a pair of slots 3:; respectively pro-. vided in a pair of opposed walls defining the guide channel 22 and comprising guides for said handle. The slots 36 extend downward sufficiently far that the follower 3 will push all particles formed during the cracking of an ice cube past wheels 26 and the bottoms of said slots will arrest'downward movement of the follower 30 and As can be readily seen from Fig. 4, the. follower 3B is so shaped in plan view thatit is guided within the guide channel l2 and thus the grip portions of handle 32 will both extend equally from opposite sides of body In.

As will be clearly seen from Fig. 1, the body i8 is preferably provided with only three legs l4 so that a suitable receptacle 38 may be placed between said legs and under the lower end of guide channel l2 so as to readily receive the cracked ice particles discharged from said channel, and subsequently removed from beneath the channel 12.

During the operation of the cracker comprising this invention, an ice cube 39, or a piece of ice which will fit into the channel i2, is placed in the upper end of the channel and permitted to drop into engagement with shattering wheels 28. The follower 33 is then placed within the channel and quickly moved downward into sharp impact with the ice cube or piece of ice 39. As is seen especially from Fig. 6, the prongs 34 on J the follower will partially shatter the ice cube "39 upon contact therewith and will also move the cube into engagement with the pronged wheels 26 in such a manner that rotation of the wheels is caused, resulting in the prongs oi the wheels successively engaging portions of the ice cube. All of the foregoing operation occurs substantially instantaneously with the result that a large number of ice cubes or pieces of ice may be cracked in a very short period of time since only a single downward blow or movement of the follower is necessary to completely shatter a cube or piece of ice.

The construction described in the foregoing provides a durable, simple, and efficient ice cracker which may be extensively operated without injury or excessive wearing. The specific construction illustrated in the drawing as comprising the preferred embodiment of the invention is pleasingin appearance and may be stored -when not in use in a small place, the handle 32 being removed from the cracker when stored .and disposed adjacent one side of the body It so as to be substantially parallel therewith.

As has been stated above, thebase it of the cracker is preferably provided with suction cups 2% so as to hold the cracker stationary during operation, and such holding will materially in crease the rapidity with which the cracker may be manipulated. Further, the edges of the base are preferably provided with an upturned flange 48 which is continuous around the base and will serve to hold any ice particles, which may everflow from receptacle 38, or water from melted particles.

The particles of cracked ice which are formed by the cracker comprising this invention are sumciently small to be readily useful for cooling beverages and the like, and the same are also suffi- 'ciently large that they maybe efficiently used in small sized ice cream freezers, for example, to 7 provide the coolant for such freezers.

It is also to be understood that the main features of the present cracker comprising the guide 9 channel, shattering means, and follower may be embodied in other structures'adaptable to existing supports or brackets of suitable culinary articles which may be used either in a kitchen, lunch- Thus, while pairs of 4 produce similar results falling within the of the invention as claimed.

What I claim is:

1. An ice cracker comprising means provided with a guide channel having surfaces defining a guideway for receiving pieces of ice, said channel being elongated and of substantially uniform cross-section, pronged shattering means, means supporting said shattering means for free rotation and with the prongs thereof projecting into said channel toward each other from opposite sides of said channel and engageable with said pieces of ice to crack and shatter said pieces as they move past said means, the axes of said rctatable shattering means being approximately outside of said defined guideway, and follower means movable within said channel and arranged to engage said ice pieces and move them into engagement with said shattering means.

2. An ice cracker comprising means provided with a' guide channel for receiving pieces of ice, said channel being elongated and of substantially uniform cross-section and having slots extending longitudinally thereof, a pair of substantially flat pronged shattering means, means supporting said shattering means for free rotation relative to said channel and within a common plane, the prongs of said pair of means extending through said slots of and projecting into said channel toward each other and being engageable with said pieces of ice to crack and shatter said pieces as they move past said means, the tips of the prongs of said pair of shattering means extending into close proximity of each other, and follower means movable within said channel and arranged to engage said ice pieces and move them into engagement with the prongs of said shattering means.

3. An ice cracker comprising means provided with a guide channel having surfaces defining a guideway for pieces of ice, said guideway being elongated and of substantially uniform crosssection, two pairs of pronged planar shattering wheels, means supporting said wheels for free rotation relative to said channel and the prongs thereof projecting into said channel and engagescope able with said pieces of ice to crack and shatter said pieces as they move past said wheels, the axes of sale rotatable shattering wheels being substantially outside of said defined guideway and the wheels of each pair being substantially in the same plane and the planes of said two wheels being substantially at right angles to each other when viewed longitudinally of said channel, and follower means movable within said channel and arranged to engage said ice pieces and move them into engagement with the prongs of said shattering wheels.

4. An ice cracker comprising means provided with a guide channel for pieces of ice, said channel being elongated and of substantially uniform cross-section, a plurality of pronged shattering wheels, means supporting said wheels for free rotation relative to and projecting into said channel toward each other from opposite sides of said channel and engageable with said pieces of ice when placed therewithin to crack and shatter said pieces as they move past said wheels, and follower means also provided with sharply tapered ice shatteringprongs and movable longitudinally of and within said channel to engage said ice pieces to shatter the same and also move them into engagement with the prongs of said with a guide channel having surfaces defining a guideway for receiving pieces of ice, said channel being elongated and of substantially uniform cross-section, a pair of pronged shattering wheels, means supporting said wheels for free rotation relative to said channel and so that the prongs of said pair of wheels project into said channel toward each other and are engageable with said pieces of ice to crack and shatter said pieces as they move past said wheels, the axes of said wheels being approximately outside of said defined guideway, and follower means also provided with ice shattering prongsand movable longitudinally of and within said channel to engage said ice pieces to shatter the same and also move them into engagement with the prongs of said shattering wheels in said channel.

6. An ice cracker comprising means provided with an elongated guide channel having surfaces defining a guideway of substantially uniform cross section for receiving pieces of ice, a pair of pronged shattering wheels, means supporting said wheels for free rotation relative to said channel and the prongs of said pair of wheels projecting into said channel toward each other and engageable with said pieces of ice to crack and shatter said pieces as they move past said wheels, the axes of said wheels being approximately outside of said defined guideway and the tips of the prongs of said shattering wheels extending into close proximity of each other, and follower means movable within said channel and arranged to engage said ice pieces and move them into engagement with the prongs of said shattering wheels.

7. An ice cracker comprising means having a plurality of sides meeting at angles to each other and forming an elongated guide channel defining a guideway of substantially uniform cross sections for receiving pieces of ice, two pairs of pronged planar shattering wheels, means supporting said wheels for free rotation relative to said channel and the prongs thereof projecting into said channel from the angles between the sides forming said channel the spacing between said wheels being such as to render the prongs thereon engageable with said pieces of ice to crack and shatter said pieces as they move past said means, the wheels of each pair being substantially in the same plane and the planes of said two pairs of wheels being substantially at right angles to each other when viewed longitudinally of said channel, and follower means movable within said channel and arranged to engage said ice pieces and move them into engagement with the prongs of said shattering wheels.

8. An ice cracker comprising in combination, a plurality of legs spaced from each other and disposed substantially radially from a common center, each leg being provided with a slot, side members extending between said legs to define an elongated guide channel of substantially uniform cross section for receiving pieces of ice, two pairs of pronged planar shattering wheels rotatably mounted'respectively within the slots in said legs and the prongs thereof projecting into said channel so as to be engageable with said pieces of ice to crack and shatter said pieces as they move past said means, the wheels of each pair being substantially in the same plane and the planes of said two pairs of wheels being substantially at right angles to each other when viewed longitudinally of said channel, and follower means movable within said channel and arranged to engage said ice pieces and move them into engagement with the prongs of said shattering wheels.

9. An ice cracker comprising means having a plurality of walls disposed at angles to each other and forming an elongated guide channel of substantially uniform cross section for receiving pieces of ice, two opposed Walls of said means being provided with substantially parallel slots extending inward from one end of said channel, a pair of pronged shattering wheels, means supporting said wheels for free rotation relative to said channel and the prongs of said wheels projecting into said channel toward each other, the spacing between said wheels being such as to render the prongs thereon engageable with said pieces of ice to crack and shatter the same as moved past said wheels, and follower means movable within said channel and comprising a manually operable cross piece extending between and slideable within said slots of said channel, said follower means being engageable with said ice pieces and operable to move the same into engagement with the prongs of said shattering wheels when said follower means is moved relative to said channel toward said wheels.

MICHAEL A. ROLLMAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number I Name Date 113,188 Monnet Mar. 28, 1871 706,773 Nichols Aug. 12, 1902 1,048,332 Miller Dec. 24, 1912 1,741,053 Goldstein Dec. 24, 1929 1,970,997 Dorman Aug. 21, 1934 1,978,808 Milam et a1 Oct. 30, 1934 2,046,396 Matter July 7, 1936 2,123,827 Lyrick et a1 July 12, 1938 2,212,213 Rothenberger et al. Aug. 20, 1940 2,275,121 Wingate et a1 Mar. 3, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 233,858 Great Britain May 21, 1925 204,626 Germany Nov. 20, 1908 

